Columbo: Columbo Goes to College

Columbo is guest lecturer for a criminology class. The students invite him along for their after-class get-together. Transiting the nearby parking garage, they discover their regular teacher, next to his car, dead from a gunshot wound. (No, Columbo was not after the man's job.) As a class project, Columbo involves the students in his sleuthing.

Two students, tentatively identified by the viewer as culprits, were in the lecture hall for the entire class. Furthermore, surveillance camera tapes of the parking garage show that no one other than the professor entered or left after he was last seen unexpectedly departing the lecture hall.

Reversing the normal routine, Columbo is the one that is pestered by the evil (?) duo, eager for progress reports and an ear for their theories. Forensic evidence is almost nonexistent. Solution of the case hinges on some eventual and interesting good luck.

On first viewing, it seemed that Columbo had swallowed whole the culprits' misdirection; however, on repeat viewing, small details revealed that not to have been the case at all.

This reviewer has yet to tire of "Columbo Goes to College."

I felt that way when I saw the episode in its original run and still agree when I watch it on reruns. You had the culprits totally mocking Columbo throughout the episode and treating him like he has down syndrome. And in the end you see their shock when Columbo gets them dead to rights and arrest them. You also get a realistic reaction from the arrogant preppy killers. They stillcouldn't give Columbo his props and say he just got lucky. I like the formula where there is an elaborate crime, the killer(s) totally underestimate Columbo, and then you get their realization that Columbo was totally playing the criminals. I recall in the first few episodes of the post 1989 episodes they weren't following that formula and this was the first episode that I was pleased with.

PLOT: Two spoiled frat boys (Stephen Caffrey & Gary Hershberger) murder their professor in an inventive way after he threatens to flunk them and expose their fraudulence. Robert Culp is on hand as the VIP father of one of them.

COMMENTARY: This is my favorite episode of the latter-day series (1989-2003). The spoiled college guys are overconfident and mock Columbo behind his back but, despite the Lieutenant's appearance and geniality, he's not naïve or clueless. Speaking of which, the clues gradually mount up, leading the rumpled detective to one of the best 'Gotcha' conclusions in the series. Everything clicks for a superb entry.

GRADE: A

I love Columbo, and although it is not one of the best episodes for me, it was a well done and interesting episode. Apart from dragging a little too much in the middle, Columbo Goes to College was a well-paced episode, and the story is once again an interesting one with the final solution where the murderers under-estimate Columbo. Hearing Columbo explaining how it all happened, you do realise how clever the murder really was. As with the case always with Columbo, it is a strikingly shot episode with a convincing setting, and the soundtrack enhances the mood seamlessly, with a fun toe-tapping song right at the start. The script is sharp and incisive. It was fun seeing Robert Culp playing Cooper's father, rather than a murderer for a change. James Sutorious gives a good turn as the Professor. Peter Falk is exceptional as he consistently is, Stephen Caffrey is great as Justin, the more interesting and "juicier" character of the murderous duo and Gary Hershberger while more low-key is also effective as Cooper. All in all, an interesting episode with an ending that is both clever and riveting. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This episode contains my favorite type of ending where the killer (or killers) try to out-smart Columbo till the end. Instead of an easy surrendering as in other cases.

The development, nonetheless, is hard to believe. Why didn't anybody hear the shot? Especially if it was made by a .45 caliber. How come the security officer kept his job? In normal circumstances, the security guard would've been fired for not watching the monitors. And why did Colombo not realize that it would've been much faster to go upstairs to get an emergency phone call instead of Justin using his truck? Well, the story could've been more realistic, but I still recommend it for entertainment.